For someone who spends a significant amount of time at the computer either gaming, doing something for a music project or writing for this site, going with stock accessories has been my tradition. I bought one wireless mouse in my life and it was complete junk, but to be fair it was something in the ten to fifteen dollar range from an unknown brand. Naturally the appeal of a higher price wireless keyboard and mouse filled me with skepticism, but having purchased a 2.1 speaker set from Logitech that provided satisfactory performance for over a decade, the thought was perhaps Logitech can make a believer out of me. Best case scenario I find out there are some after market computer peripherals that are worthwhile, worst case scenario there is the fun in writing a nasty review. The two items to be discussed are the Logitech G613 Lightspeed Wireless Mechanical Gaming Keyboard and the Logitech G603 Lightspeed Wireless Gaming Mouse. These two items are designed for eSports athletes and hobbyist gamers who just enjoy high end equipment. The two items work just fine on their own but are intended to team up together to create a wireless PC gaming set up.

A common trade off with wireless accessories is there is a trade off with some response time, typically the lag in wireless compared to wired is under a second but that is enough to make a difference in a competitive setting. The G613 Lightspeed Wireless Mechanical Gaming Keyboard uses Lightspeed wireless technology with results in a one millisecond response rate which is faster than wired. The keyboard uses Romer-G mechanical switches designed to register key presses 25 percent faster than standard keyboards due to a 1.5 mm short-throw acutation. The keys themselves are built sturdy and durable and have a seventy million click life expectancy. Six dedicated G-keys can be programmed with custom macros and in-app commands to allow the execution of complex actions, simply and quickly, with a keystroke. The G613 is powered by two AA batteries and can last up to eighteen months with warning LEDs activating when the battery is at 15 percent and Logitech Gaming Software notifications will warn the user prior to the power fading out. Lastly, the keyboard can be paired with up to eight Bluetooth devices and a simple button press goes from computer to device.

The G613 is built like a tank, and easily weighs twice as much as the wired keyboard that came with my PC. Whether the extra heft is a pro or con is up to the user, but personally it’s a pro since it makes it feel sturdy and well constructed and not like some cheap piece of plastic that will break if the keys are pressed too hard. There are two retractable feet in the back if typing at an angle is more comfortable. The layout is a typical keyboard set up with the only slight differences between the vertical six programmable G keys on the left side, some multimedia controls in the upper right corner and the button to switch from Bluetooth device to PC. The Bluetooth feature is really cool and during the review there were some moments of Homer Simpson discovering how hospital bed inclines work. For friends that love having text message conversations you just hit the Bluetooh button, type out the message and send it, and then hit the PC button and you’re back to gaming. Not exactly a necessary feature I’ll admit but it’s still very cool and a feature I have been enjoying, and since multiple Bluetooth devices can be paired there are way more applications to this than just texting. The G613 comes with a stand for convenient smartphone placement.

The G603 Lightspeed Wireless Gaming Mouse is designed to be the mouse counterpart to the keyboard. Based on my previous experience with a wireless mouse the G603 is exponentially superior, but it better since we’re discussing a brand name product that costs more than fifteen bucks. The same Lightspeed wireless technology found in the G613 keyboard is utilized here, along with the Bluetooth connectivity. Through power management the battery mileage will vary. There is a switch for high and low power usage which serves as a bit of a trade off. High setting has the one ms response rate and can last through roughly 500 hours of gaming, while the low setting drops the response rate to eight ms but can go for eighteen months. The G603 has a lightweight ergonomic design and most of the weight comes from the batteries. There are six programmable buttons, and using Logitech Gaming Software the onboard memory will let the user save their settings to use on other PCs without additional software.

The G603 behaves exactly how I want a mouse to. It doesn’t lag or have the cursor get stuck in the corner like my previous wireless mouse did. High and low settings I didn’t perceive much of a difference but we’re talking one ms compared to eight ms none of us would, but the results screen at the end of a competitive game where milliseconds make a difference, it could tell a different story. Most non professional gamers can probably get away with the low setting to extend battery life. Like the keyboard pairing and switching from the computer to Bluetooth devices is as easy as a press of a button, though unlike the keyboard I can’t think of a practical use of this feature on a mouse, maybe for tablet gaming or app usage perhaps.

Closing Comments:

Both the G613 keyboard and G603 mouse are high quality products, providing the clutter free advantage of wireless products without sacrificing speed and performance. They aren’t cheap, the G613 keyboard retails for $149.99 and the G603 mouse for $69.99, but they are higher quality than the stock models that came with my PC (which is actually a respectable gaming brand). Both of these items are good choices for someone looking to upgrade their mouse and keyboard set up for a better gaming experience.